Warsaw Eagle (2 Viewers)

[ChrisLuv]

Hello,

I have been in Warsaw on business for a few days, and spent this morning at first light down by the river. It was the only chance I had for birding, an hour or two at most, and I only had my tiny bins with me (my company aren't too forthcoming when it comes to paying for luggage in the hold - so had no luggage space for better bins or camera).

The river was frozen (except a small strip towards one bank) and I enjoyed watching two otters running across the ice - a nice surprise, I also had a Common Buzzard, Goosander and quite a few gulls (I think LBB, GBB, Herring, Little & Common - though my Gull ID isn't the best).

The most extraordinary sight was an eagle flying down river :eek!:, I haven't had too much practice at IDs of eagle but I believe it was a Golden Eagle. The only other option was a White-tailed Juvenille. Certainly it was very broad winged, long "fingers", dark brown with a dark band to the base of the tail. It had a large yellow bill.

Would this be an unusual sighting for Warsaw, with the recent cold temperatures is it bring birds in, or is there another species I've overlooked?

Many thanks,
Chris

 

[njlarsen]

Hello,

I have been in Warsaw on business for a few days, and spent this morning at first light down by the river. It was the only chance I had for birding, an hour or two at most, and I only had my tiny bins with me (my company aren't too forthcoming when it comes to paying for luggage in the hold - so had no luggage space for better bins or camera).

The river was frozen (except a small strip towards one bank) and I enjoyed watching two otters running across the ice - a nice surprise, I also had a Common Buzzard, Goosander and quite a few gulls (I think LBB, GBB, Herring, Little & Common - though my Gull ID isn't the best).

The most extraordinary sight was an eagle flying down river :eek!:, I haven't had too much practice at IDs of eagle but I believe it was a Golden Eagle. The only other option was a White-tailed Juvenille. Certainly it was very broad winged, long "fingers", dark brown with a dark band to the base of the tail. It had a large yellow bill.

Would this be an unusual sighting for Warsaw, with the recent cold temperatures is it bring birds in, or is there another species I've overlooked?

Many thanks,
Chris

Do you actually mean base of tail? So the tip of the tail was paler than the area closest to the body? If you mean the reverse, was the dark area 1/10th of the length of the tail or half?

cheers
Niels

 

[ChrisLuv]

Hi Niels,

Sorry, I mean the tip of the tail had dark band, approximately a tenth to a fifth (ish) of the tail.

Chris

 

[Jos Stratford]

White-tailed Eagle is the likely option - where ice-free water remains, they frequently occur on the rivers even in city centres here in eastern Europe. Three to four commoly seen on the river in Lithuania's second city, with even bigger numbers in the seaort of Klaipeda. I have no reason to suppose Warsaw to our immediate south would be any less likely to support the odd bird.

Little Gull however rare in winter and more likely to be Bk-hd Gull for example.

 

[lukasz]

Hi there,

Dark brown bird, white tail with a narrow black stripe plus large yellow bill make it a White-tailed Eagle, subadult. Juveniles are black, spotted and have a darkish bill and dark tail.

They are also much more likely around Warsaw than the Golden Eagles. We get over 300 breeding pairs of WTE all over the country, mostly in the north, compared to just a few GE in southern Poland.

Well spotted, never saw a WTE in Warsaw

BTW. Little Gulls don't stay here for winter - If you saw smaller gulls with some markings on the head, you most likely saw Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridibundus)

Cheers,
Luke

 

[ChrisLuv]

Thanks for the replies, I'd have thought WTE from the bill alone, it was BIG and very yellow, but the tail had me confused. Thanks for confirming, very pleased with my trip. I'd love to return and spend longer birding outside the city next time.

I also saw a corvid spectacle during a meeting the previous day (again in Warsaw), it was dropping to dusk and we were high up in an office block - someone pointed to the window and there were thousands of corvid - jackdaw, rooks and carrion crow, stretched out across the sky, like something out of a film, it was spectacular and had everyone rushing for cameras. It didn't last long but I won't forget it in a hurry.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Jos Stratford]

...there were thousands of corvid - jackdaw, rooks and carrion crow, stretched out across the sky, like something out of a film, it was spectacular and had everyone rushing for cameras.

Part of the Rook and Jackdaw populations in eastern Europe migrate out, but those that remain behind tend to roost in the cities, much as Starlings in some parts of Britain.

Every night here in Vilnius, thousands flock into the city, roosting in the trees in the main high street and around the cathedral.

 

[lukasz]

thousands of corvid - jackdaw, rooks and carrion crow,

Carrion crow very unlikely in Warsaw, at least not in large numbers. We hardly get any in Poland. I would have thought you saw rooks and jackdaws.

Cheers
Luke

 

[Cristian Mihai]

The evening daily "migration" of the rooks is impressive here, in Bucharest. Thousands of birds come from the nearby areas to sleep in trees, mainly in the north part of the city.

 

[ChrisLuv]

Carrion crow very unlikely in Warsaw, at least not in large numbers. We hardly get any in Poland. I would have thought you saw rooks and jackdaws.

Cheers
Luke

Sorry Hooded Crow - I forget they'd been split now.